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Courtesy of The Aquaculturists Blog:

Relevant and cost-effective spatial planning can ensure future aquaculture development is both environmentally and economically sustainable.

There are many different approaches for spatial planning, with some more successful than others; the best take into account social, economic and environmental issues to provide a management framework that addresses the concerns of all parties.

To raise an awareness of effective spatial planning in aquaculture, the topic is the feature of a special session at the forthcoming World Aquaculture Adelaide 2014 Conference to be held in Adelaide, South Australia, in June.

The Spatial Planning session, will be led by Dr Catriona Macleod, Deputy Director Fisheries, Aquaculture & Coasts Centre, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) and Jill Coates, President of South Australia Oyster Grower Association.

Dr Macleod explained that this session provides the opportunity to present information that will help farmers and regulators appreciate all of the risks (ecological and social) associated with development of aquaculture operations in any given area and plan accordingly.

“Effective spatial planning requires an understanding of both species’ performance requirements and limitations in the selected environment” she said. “The ability to incorporate such information into the planning process can really benefit farmers. Predictive modelling approaches and GIS (Geographic Information Systems) provide invaluable decision support tools but managers (both industry and regulator) need to fully understand the context and limitations when applying such approaches.”

“This session seeks to not only provide examples and highlight issues in relation to spatial planning, but also to stimulate discussions as to how to improve planning and stakeholder engagement into the future”.

World Aquaculture Adelaide 2014 will take place at the Adelaide Convention Centre in Adelaide, South Australia from 7 to 11 June 2014.